Daily Meditations
I profess to aim at perfection but in practice I like the way of perfection to be mapped out by me and not by God.-——————Pope John XXIII
This is so very true. I want to make my own plans and set my own path. It will be my idea of perfection. God has other plans. He sees the way clearly that we need to go. If only we would follow his path instead of ours.
Infinite God, I am sure you get tired of us wanting to be in charge of everything. Help us to listen for your voice and follow your path. AMEN
Faith is not the opposite of doubt. The opposite of doubt is disbelief. Doubts make us ask questions. They make us struggle, study more and learn. Doubts stretch us and make us grow. Don’t be afraid of having doubts. We can’t know everything. Only God has all the answers.
Amazing God, forgive us for thinking that we can know all the answers. Help us to continue to learn and grow in our knowledge of you. AMEN
Many Christians say they believe in the Presence in the Eucharist, but they don’t get that it is everywhere—which is the whole point! They don’t seem to know how to recognize the Presence of God when they leave the church, when they meet people who are of a different religion or race or sexual orientation or nationality. ——-Richard Rohr
God is everywhere. He is in you and me. He is in the trees and the grass. He is in my beloved dogs. God is everywhere! Why is it so hard for us to get that?
Infinite God, you created all things and are present in them all. Help us to understand. AMEN
We must continue to learn and grow each day. We ourselves change each day so if we read a Bible passage tomorrow it may have an insight it didn’t have yesterday. We can never stop growing. God expects us to use the mind he gave us.
Gentle God, you have given us ways to learn and grow. Remind us to use them. AMEN
A gem cannot be polished without friction nor a man perfected without trials. —-Chinese proverb
We all bemoan the trials that we go through. We wish that life could be easy with no bumps in the road. However, it is the trials that help to make us, not only beautiful, but useful in God’s eyes. It is the trials that help us to understand the pain of others. Learn from the trials so that you can be used by God to help others.
Miraculous God, you don’t cause our trials to happen but you want us to use them to bring about your kingdom. AMEN
The ethical results of current research is staring us in the face. We don’t always think about this as being connected with our faith. However, it is critical to our belief system. I am thinking way beyond abortion and gay marriage. I am considering choosing the characteristics of our children, immortality for those who can pay, who can have access to healthcare, when do we let people die to husband our resources?
These are questions that we have to consider now and ones that we must lean on our core ethics, our faith and our God. We must listen for God’s voice to discern how to move forward. Begin to pray about these things and listen for God now!
Infinite, intimate God, the issues before us are way beyond our understanding. Guide us in your wisdom to do your will. AMEN
God made me on a morning when he had nothing else to do.———-C.F. Lloyd
We can often feel this way about ourselves. We can’t imagine that we have any skills or talents to offer. We feel useless.
One quote that I have always loved is “God didn’t make junk.” Each of us has something to offer. Each of us has gifts that God has given us. We just have to recognize them and put them to use for his kingdom. We are worthy….God made us.
Imaginative God, you made each of us unique. Help us to find and use the gifts that you have given us. AMEN
We need the company of other seekers–not answers-————-unknown
Too often we want the answers. Why do bad things happen? Why isn’t the world a better place? I could go on forever.
We have to learn that we don’t need the answers. We probably wouldn’t understand them anyway. Instead we need to be with others who are seeking God. We need to share our stories of “God moments” and hear theirs. That is what will feed our faith.
Infinite God, you are beyond our understanding. Help us to find you in communion with others. AMEN
Jesus tells us stories so our lives will be transformed. —————-Michael Williams
Jesus told parables. We call them parables but they are stories. The stories that he told made sense to his audience. Stories help us to see things differently. They don’t have easy answers. They make us thinks. It is also easy for us to put ourselves in the story. Read the parables!
Lord Jesus, you told stories to help us understand. Help us to see the meaning. AMEN
The truth is a person not a set of rules.————–unknown
The truth is a person and that person is Jesus. Jesus is not a set of rules. We humans have tried to turn our faith, our belief, our Christianity into a set of rules. A set of do’s and don’ts. Jesus said love one another. Love God and your neighbor. That’s all it takes. If we could just do those things life would be amazing.
Extraordinary God, help us to see the truth and follow it. AMEN
Hear God in Other Voices 